Notable Point of discussion: Google Pixel 2

About the appearance of smartphones, we learned long before the presentation: the web now and then there were new renderers, press photos and even photos of gadgets. After the announcement, Google put everything in its place: two devices with different diagonals, a metal case and a glass insert on the back side. On the renderings and photos of Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, gadgets looked extremely unusual and original, before Pixel nobody did smartphones, in which half of the back cover would be made of glass – either glass, or metal, or small inserts of both.

In an unusually decorated box is the following package: smartphone, documentation, a powerful charger, a pin for removing the SIM tray, a two-way USB-C wire, a USB-A cable, a USB-C and an OTG adapter with USB-C. Judging by the set, Google actively pushes the USB-C standard, which can only be welcomed. Of course, while this causes certain inconvenience, but they are solvable. In addition, the box is prudently nested with a standard wire from USB to USB-C.

Perhaps, it’s impossible to name the beautiful Google Pixel 2 XL. It’s just nice and showy. The patch is made of glass Gorilla Glass 4, which is inserted in a solid base of anodized aluminum. The material is, in fact, normal, but the treatment is special – the Pixel 2 XL is less clogged with dirt and even on black the stains are imperceptible, the material is quite resistant to scratches. The front side is covered with the same glass from Corning and it is also rounded off. It is true that in front, that behind the rounding is almost not felt, as both there and there the metal base is closely aligned with the glass.

Let’s go through the elements. Above the screen is the front camera of Google Pixel 2, earpiece, light and proximity sensors. The LED indicator in the phone is also there (hides in the conversation speaker), but by default it’s off and you need to activate it in the notification settings. Why did Google decide not to use it? Because it considered that lights up when the notification screen provides the best experience. Left – tray under one nano-SIM. Right – the power button and volume rocker, the height of the location which could be lower.

The audio connector is on the top, at the bottom there is a USB-C 3.0 port, a microphone and a multimedia speaker. The speaker is very loud and clean, but if for some reason you want to turn the Pixel 2 XL into a Nexus 6P (or iPhone 7 Plus) to play both speakers – you can use the mod to make music output and through the speaker. True, no mod will help to swap the microphone slots (right) and the speaker (left).

Personally, I prefer to keep the phone in a horizontal orientation with the left side facing me, but with Pixel XL this is problematic, since the hand covers the speaker. Behind is the main camera module, a dual flash and several points that hide the laser autofocus and microphone. A fingerprint scanner, called Pixel Imprint, is also located on the back.